witnessing as you people prepare to bury two of these little 6-year-olds. >> everybody that i talked to, thomas, in this community,s especially the families have told me that they feel the support here and literally around the country. i was talking to principal hochsprung's daughter, erica. we heard from her this morning. she said one of the things that has heartened her is hearing from teachers all around the country, house inspired they would have been. she said if my mother would have had one message to anybody, it would have been read a book to a child. and they've been overwhelmed by social media, support that they've gotten. then if you look behind me. i've been to this memorial in downtown as early as 6:00 in the morning and as late as 11:30 at night. and families are coming together here, you often see them holding hands. and you just see the number of flowers. you mention that they're literally having to expedite getting more flowers in here. and i think that we often have this feeling what can we do?

a lot of toys have been donated for children for christmas. a number of funds have been set up in local banks and online. and it has made a difference to every person in this country that i've talked to. they say they feel the support, thomas. >> nbc's chris jansing reporting for us there. the host of "jansing & company" here on msnbc. chris, thanks so much. senator joe lieberman speaking on the house floor right now. talking about what this tragedy has meant to him. he's an independent. we'll listen in for a second. >> -- the act of a madman. or mad people. this time, they said it reflects a deeper problem in our society. and i believe what causes that change is that 20 of the victims in newtown, connecticut, were young children. and there is not only a heartbreak across our country about this, not only anger, but i think there's guilt.

and we all ought to feel guilty because as a society, what the attacks in newtown said to us is that, we have failed to fulfill what would seem to be our most natural -- natural law. if you will. responsibility which is to protect the safety and lives of our children. >> senator joe lieberman talking on the senate floor saying they ought to feel guilty, referencing himself and his other colleagues, that americans aren't protected by stricter gun laws in this country. the senator there eye were an impassion -- with an impassioned speech. but even as both members, or even as members of both chambers of congress are advocates for strong gun regulations in the wake of this tragedy, there are some who would argue that more control of firearms is not the answer. joining me now is one of them, georgia republican congressman

jack kingston. sir, it's good to have you here. i hope you were able to hear senator lieberman there, saying we ought to feel guilty. referring to elected officials like yourself. do you feel a sense of guilt at all that aren't stronger laws on the book that would protect the children we lost in connecticut? >> you know, thomas, as a father of four, a father who has driven carpool for many years, a tee-ball coach. there's nothing more horrific than the image of somebody pointing a gun at a 6-year-old and pulling the trigger. we all mourn the loss. we see the problem and it's happened in other countries as well. we look for something, okay, what can prevent it? i think that's where we need to go with this discussion, yes, put gun control, more gun control on the table. but also don't forget the mental health element.

don't forget, is there a home situation that we need to learn more about. you know, was this young man addicted to violent video games? was there a hollywood influence? i think that we can't just stop at guns. we need to put the whole thing on the table. you know, you know when you drop your child off at school, you want to know that he or she is going to be safe all day long. >> so when you talk about the fact you think more gun control may be a topic to debate right now. there are certainly a number of politicians who have been pro-gun rights in the past. they're now advocating for gun control including senator joe manchin who fired a gun in this ad right here. we're watching it here. they are changing their tune a bit. i want to remind everybody. take a listen. >> i don't know anyone in the sporting or hunting arena that goes out with an assault rifle. i don't know anyone that needs 30 rounds in a clip to go hunting. >> i had an nra rating of "a."

you know, enough is enough. i'm the father of three daughters, this weekend, they all said, dad, you know, how can this go on? >> the republicans are going to have to figure out. i mean, do they wapnt to be the party and this is what it's going to boil down to. this is the world they live in. do they want to be seen two years from now, four years from now, as the party of glocks. >> today, in "daily news." 9 title of "blood on your hands." when you hear joe manchin and joe scarborough talking about the party of glocks. are you worried, we need to bring up violent video games and hollywood as well. is the reinterpretation, the

modern day and that people have access to assault weapons? >> you know what is also disturbing, thomas, people s, d republicans -- here we have a town that was controlled in by democrats, the white house for two years. and nothing took place. for the partisans in our country to already start injecting politics in here, that saddens me further. now, we have to remember connecticut has the fifth toughest gun control laws in the country, including an assault weapon ban that bans 35 different weapons. the weapon used was not an assault weapon, therefore it wasn't banned. it also has education requirements. registration requirements, fingerprinting requirements. this young man stole the guns from his mother. he took them to a gun-free zone.

he broke into it. he carried the guns. he broke four laws before he even shot the trigger in the school. so we have to remember, that while we jump up and down talking about assault weapons, this is a state that bans assault weapons. and i think we do a disservice to the solution when we turn it into politics. and that is what appears to be the case right now in washington, d.c. >> but, sir, politics have a huge influence in this, as we look at the nra which is large lobbying group for gun manufacturers that has supported -- they support you. you have an "a" rating from them. you have voted yes on promoting gun sellers and manufacturers. and yes on the waiting periods taking waiting periods from 72 hours to one day yes on a trigger lock law in washington, d.c. how can you say politics are not involved with this when you look at a voting record right there. the nra gives you an "a" in allowing for people like an adam

lanza to have access to the weapons he might have had. his mother might have had it legally, but we cannot police what his mother is doing inside that house to keep lanza away from those weapons. >> yes, and none of the policy issues which you just ticked off would have prevented adam lanza from doing this. and it is very sad that we want to cloud the issue by making nra the policy, as opposed to adam lan za and what triggers this. think of germany, germany in the last three year has had three mass shootings, and they've had the strictest gun control laws in the world. including psychological profiling. and 2011, czech republic, nearby germany, has very lax gun control, they have not had this type shooting. >> so there's nothing we can do? we need to be complacent in the fact that we can send our

children to school to be assassinated? >> no, i think that one of the problems we have on the gun control debate is it immediately starts dividing people into, you disagree with me, therefore, you're the enemy. i've opened up saying let's put gun issues on the table. let's include mental health. video games, home back ground in there. and i think where there is common ground, you could say the storage of weapons. but when we immediately start saying, well, you want this, therefore you dislike children or whatever, it's not productive to the debate. and i want to point out, i've been in congress for a long time, i can tell you, gun control debates are very, very difficult. and they always get clouded in the politics of partisanship. and i don't mean republican versus democrat because this splits party lines but i money pro-gun and anti-gun. i think if we want a reasonable discussion and address this, we have to talk about what happened

in germany with the gun control law us. did it prevent anything? what happened in connecticut, the fifth toughest gun control laws in the country? it did not prevent anything. so what i'm saying is, you can't just stop at guns. you have to look at mental health. what about having a toll-free number for people who have somebody like an adam lanza in the house who say, i'm concerned that my son may have a tendency towards violence and insane acts. what do i do? i think we can fund grants on that, work with mayors in communities about it. there's a lot of things that we can do on a bipartisan basis in washington, d.c. and i think so at this point, we need to come together as a nation, rather than start pulling off into separate camps. >> congressman jack kingston, thanks for your are time. >> thank you. >> ed schultz, ed, your reaction to what the congressman said, it's not just about gun control

issues but the compilation of issues, one being mental health. >> well, we all have our personal resume on this. six kids, nine grandkids, all my boys hunt. assault weapons, what's the definition? is the congressman trying to tell the country that man went into that school without an assault weapon? it's all how you write the law? 90 bullets in a clip, that's an assault weapon. 30 bullets in a clip in the minds of the american people, that's an assault weapon. so it's how you write the law and what you're going to tolerate is part of it. the congressman, i give him credit are talking about mental health. but mental health is a lot more than dialing 1-800. is he willing to resource the clinics and the health personnel that going to be accessible and have access to mental health. or is he going to help make the

determination as to who is going to be able to own a firearm or not? giving examples around the world doesn't cut it. our freedoms are so different than other countries right now. we have to somehow man this urban and rural divide that has taken place in this country. because where i come from, people view firearms, leave me alone. don't bother me with legislation, i'll take care of myself. that's far different than what you hear mayor bloomberg say in new york city. it's two different worlds, two different cultures. >> as you point out, the congressman bringing up other influences around the world. but when you look at the confines. i want to show everybody these numbers. the amount of people that we have lost. guns every year. the numbers are staggering. we're following another shooting that's an apparent murder/suicide in longmont, colorado that has left four people dead, including a child. as we look back in 2004 had the

assault weapon ban was in place, there were huge loopholes. how does the congressman ensure that any legislation going forward, if, ed, we get anything, if we get anything, has real are teeth to it? >> well, there aren't as many shootings when we had the assault weapons ban in place. that's a fact. congress can't run from that. i commend the president from doing this in a very timely fashion. but i think what the president and the commission need to do is talk to the gun advocates. bring the national rifle association into the association. conversation. ask them what would they do? they're against everything, but ask them what would they do? i mean, some of these people on the right, and it is a political issue, they're saying that we ought to arm the teachers. arm the teachers. that means a 24-year-old student graduating from montclair university should be proficient in a firearm? >> your mom was a teacher. it's hard enough to get quality educators in the school system. now, we think they have to be

trained not only to educate the children, but to have some type of training on a handgun or firearm. >> i think the assault weapons ban say good start. i think senator feinstein and other senators have stepped forward because this is what's moving the country right now. we understand the first amendment. he's talking about hollywood. does that mean he wants to attack the first amendment and freedom of speech and the ability to make entertainment? we're going to have to reel that in? so this is multifaceted. i'm all on board for the mental health help. but it's got to be resourced. then you get into insurance issues. it's one domino talking over the other. >> ed schultz, thank you too much. the big question for you today, do you think leaders in washington will be usual on this period of time to get anything done on gun control? tweet me@thomasaroberts.

plan "b," his speaker john boehner plans to go over the fiscal cliff. and richard, save in syria, after being kidnapped with his news crew. he describes those details for us.

our plan "b" would protect american taxpayers who make $1 million or less. and have all of their current rates extended. >> well, two weeks until taxes go up on nearly every american, house speaker john boehner is making another game of political chess on the fiscal cliff. he and eric cantor announcing last hour that he would introduce a plan for the bush

tax rates of those making $1 million or less. this news comes from president obama placed another counteroffer on the table, his third one in nine days. joining me in kristen welker, nbc news correspondent. chr kristen, what do you make in light of the boehner plan put on the table? the president unupped them here. >> you look at the polls, they show if we do in fact go over the fiscal cliff, the majority of americans would place the blame on republicans. so house speaker john boehner putting forward the proposal that would increase taxes on those making $1 million or more. harry reid already responding. he said speaker boehner's plan "b" is the farthest thing from a balanced approach. it will not protect middle class families because it cannot pass both houses of congress. it would be a shame if republicans abandoned productive

negotiations due to pressure from the tea party as they have time and time again." there you have democrats taking issue with this idea of raising taxes on those making $1 million or more. thomas, this plan "b" does not mean that negotiations are not going forward. they still are, two competing plans on the table. let's look at president obama's latest offer. this is something that the white house put forth late last night. calls for increase on taxes for those making $400,000 or more. $1.2 trillion in new revenue. and entitlement savings phone social security benefits. that is something that many democrats do not like. taking a look at boehner's offer now, that would call for raising rates for those making $1 million or more. $1 trillion in new revenue, $1 trillion in tax cuts.

>> speaker boehner made note of the fact that the tragedy has impacted the talks. >> i think both sides would agree to that. this is a difficult time for americans, that's why, while we continue to have conversations with the white house, continue to have hope that we can reach an agreement, it's not a time to put americans through more stress. >> kristen, not a time to put americans through more stress. how much pressure does what's taking place in newtown, put on the pressure for both sides to get it done? >> i think it puts pressure on both sides. both sides that both americans just don't have the appetite for that. in light of the tragedy in connecticut that has become the nation's tragedy. there's a lot of pressure for the president to get something done. >> a programming note i want to pass along, house minority

leader nancy pelosi is going to talk with andrea mitchell about the fiscal cliff and her call for the ban on magazine clips. that's coming up here at 1:00 on msnbc. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios

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[ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ woman ] learn from my story. it's the president's job to promote a plan that fixes -- that satisfies the needs of the country. he is the commander in chief. he's the consoler in chief. but he's the commander in chief. and whether the legislation that he proposes gets passed or not, that's not -- that shouldn't be his first consideration. >> one day after new york mayor michael bloomberg stood in a room flanked by victims of gun violence and their families. he spoke on "morning joe" calling for the president to move towards change. saying change needs to happen at the federal level. among the 34 that stood there yesterday, roxana green, her

9-year-old daughter, christina taylor-green was killed while he waited in line to talk to gabby giffords. roxana penned a book called "as good as she imagined." she joins me here. i have to imagine witnessing what's going on in newtown, connecticut, this must be very hard for you. how are you and your family doing today? and what is your message for newtown? >> well, our heart breaks for newtown. we offer condolences. love and prayers. we feel their pain. we know exactly what they're going through and i just hope that they stay strong and peace. >> one thing with you, you've been very forward in the wake of christina taylor-green's death. you have gotten very involved in try to see gun laws changed.

here we are, almost two years later, after her loss, her death. and we're nowhere, do you feel at times angry that your daughter might have lost her life in vain, and that we continue to have policy in this country that does not protect innocent children and people from assault weapons on our streets? >> i'm very disappointed and very sad. and every time one of these tragedies, senseless acts happen, of course, it britians it all back up for our family. and it's just not necessary. really believe that the president and congress has to come up with a gun violence protection plan immediately, so people don't lose their lives. people have to be able to be safe. outside their grocery store. in a movie theater, in their schools. i mean, today's the time, right now. we can't wait another minute. so many people are losing their lives. >> you bring up the president. and he gave a very impassioned speech, one that he helped pen himself, in newtown,

connecticut, to the families and to the nation who was in mourning and watching what everyone is going through. and i just want to play a small part of that. take a look. >> we cannot and will not be passive in the says of such violence. we should be willing to challenge old assumptions, in order to lessen the prospects of such violence in the future. >> forgive me, this is the speech that the president gave after the loss of your daughter and others in tucson, the rhetoric much the same as what we heard in newtown. do you feel resolve and have we reach the tipping point, that phrase has been used a lot, the tipping point because of the loss of children in tragedy? >> i'm very confident that the president will do something about it now. i don't know why they didn't do anything sooner. there shouldn't have been an awe

aurora, wisconsin, and now connecticut. everybody has been wonderful for the wonderful children and teachers who lost their lives. >> rocxana, we thank you for lending your voice to this. ♪ it's so important to make someone happy ♪

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so this year, every hasbro toy donated to toys for tots will be powered by duracell. happy holidays. duracell with duralock. trusted everywhere. [applause] welcome back, everybody. i want to talk you to washington, d.c. you're watching applause right now. a live look there after the vice president swore in senator patrick leahy as the new president pro-tem. this makes him second in line for the house speaker. trade ne traditionally, the longest serving member of the party. he replaces daniel inoue who had the distinction of being the

longest serving senator in history. a war hero, inouye received the medal of honor for heroics in world war ii. while recouperating from the loss of his arm, he met bob dole. his last words before passing away, aloha. in the aftermath of the halls of sandy hook elementary school calls for actions in all walks of life. what will it really are take to get work down in washington, d.c. richard wolf, vice president and executive editor of msnbc.com. paul barrett, senior writer and author of book "glock." and the book that made head lines across the country. gentlemen, i want to start with you. "the washington post" has reported that the president has put the vice president in charge of putting a stop to violence.

yesterday, the president met with biden, along with other cabinet members to discuss this issue, along with arne duncan there, we see kathleen sebelius there, eric holder to formulate a plan. how many opportunity is there for something to get done, with public sentiment the way it is after newtown? >> well there say window, people are obviously outraged at what happened. while there is a political will to do something, they have to move and they have to act. they have to get through the fiscal. there may be talks about sb immigration as well. so it's a bit crowded right after the honeymoon. second-term honeymoons do lot last long. a moment they have to seize. >> they have not given a reaction. the facts, however, on social

media. there's a radio silence from them. paul, your book is about one of the guns that lanza brought to this school, "glock." we go over it in tucson, in aurora. it was the military-style bushmaster type rifle. used in afghanistan and iraq. i want to show everybody an ad for the rifle. reading "consider your man card reissued" when it comes to this weapon. what does it say that that's the way a weapon like this is promoted? what does it say also when americans question gun legislation in this land, and the rebuttal is, well, you don't bleed red enough with the american right to bear arms. >> well, guns have been promoted since the 19th century by samuel colt, the guy who designed the weapons of the west, machismo

and the guns are deeply woven into american culture. that's something that's not going to change coming out of this horrible event. >> reverend hall, at the sermon, got the standing ovation calling the faithful across the country to rally in support of gun restrictions. i want to show what you had to say. our political leaders need to know there's a political leader who some stand together with our leaders as they act to take assault weapons off the street. just part of the sermon that you gave. what would you like to see religious communities do to try to ripple change in this country? >> well, religious communities have historically prayed for the victims and for the assailant and for everyone involved. i think there's an antidotal sense now among faith leaders all across the country and

faiths across america that it's time for us to do something more. and i think, clearly, in the stages of doing that, here in washington, but also around the country is gathering faith leaders from a variety of faith traditions and essentially just putting a counterweight on our legislators and our executive branch to say there is another voice in america. and it's a voice that believes there are common sense consensual things that we can do to curb the access to guns and to bring a stop to the violence. >> a counterweight, richard, no matter what we do right now in the immediate aftermath of all of this does not mean that a tragedy like newtown may not happen again. there might be a weapon sitting in someone's house right now that could be in the mind-set of someone that they're planning to do something on the heels of this tragedy. but there are those voices out there that would like a long wish list of things to be done

in the wake of this tragedy. including an assault weapons ban. house minority leader nancy pelosi wants to ban those high-capacity magazine clips. and mayor booker who was with them against gun violence. wants to close the loopholes. he appeared with rachel maddow last night. >> criminals should not be able to buy guns. and even at higher levels when you think about the reality if you're a suspected terrorist in america, you can go to the secondary gun market and buy a weapon and conduct the kind of terrorism we saw in mumbai which was done with automatic and semiautomatic weapons. >> the fabric of gun culture is woven into american's lives. how do we put a genie back in a bottle when it comes to modern-day wednesday that our forefathers could never have imagined? >> we cannot put the genie back in the bottle.

we can tamper with rules. nobody in washington, not president obama, not senator feinstein is going to confiscate the guns throughout. anyone who is implying otherwise is kidding themselves. >> americans love to drive, they wouldn't have anything else but huge cars. didn't matter about safety, they said. you're not going to change the cigarette culture. it's not one piece of legislation. but the fact there are multiple fronts that people have opened up now. the fact that there is this sense of outrage, the fact that there's one tragedy too many. when you look at other countries where this happens, australia, scotland. there was significant outcry when elementary kids get killed in this way. so for multiple points of action and it happens in multiple years when you don't have a gun lobby that says no changes can happen. >> it's not an overnight solution. but steps in the right

direction. richard wolffe, paul bearic, the reverend, thanks a lot. a bit of good news. we're breathing a huge collective sigh of relief after being held captive, an nbc correspondent group richard engel and his group are freed and out of arm. engle and his crew sharing the story of what they faced. the ordeal. >> i'm very happy that we're able to do this slapshot this morning. we were driving in syria about five days ago in what we thoughts were a rebel-controlled area. we were with some of the rentals. as we were moving down the road, a group of gunmen literally jumped out of the trees and bushes on the side of the road. probably 15 gunmen. they were wearing ski masks, they were heavily armed. they dragged us out of the car. they had a container truck

position waiting on the side of the road. they put us into that container truck. we were with some gunmen who were escorting us. they executed one of them on the spot. and they took us to a series of safehouses and interrogation places. and they kept us blind folded, found. we weren't physically beaten or tortured. it was a lot of psychological torture. it was a traumatic experience. we're very happy to be here. we're in good health. we're okay. everyone was great, nbc was fantastic informing our families, keeping everything up to date. keeping the story quiet. about t. what a night, huh? but, um, can the test drive be over now? head back to the dealership? [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. but we still need your signature. volkswagen sign then drive is back. and it's never been easier to get a passat. that's the power of german engineering. get $0 down, $0 due at signing, $0 deposit, and $0 first month's payment

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okay. so speaker john boehner tries to prevent taxes on americans earning less than milli$1 milli. joining me congressman gregory meeks, democrat from new york,

and congressman jonathan nim. congressman, i want to ask you, this is to keep taxes on americans making $1 million or less. the white house saying it rejected it. what do you make of the fact that speaker boehner is putting that out there for a vote? >> for one, emphasizes something that's important to me. the law says taxes are going up on everyone. everyone in the country, january 1st. as a republican, i really believe that lower taxes are going to be better for the economy. so this is an opportunity for us to keep taxes low on 99 point whatever percent of the country. and i also think it shows to compromise. my colleagues across the aisle have been counting on millionaires and billionaires needing to pay more. we're doing what we can for as many americans as we possibly

can, while working across the aisle and bringing the compromise. i think it makes sense. >> congressman meeks, this is maybe an effort in few tiutilit here. the white house saying maybe this is offensive. what's your take? >> my take is, we continue to negotiate. you got to get to a part where there's compromise. and there's got to be progress. what i've been hearing from my colleagues on my side of the i will from the president and the speaker, they're talking. so i think there's continued progress and we've got to make sure there's fairness and it's equitable in how we resolve the problems that the country is facing. i'm hopeful, that we move forward. because for me, we want to make sure that we're not resolving the problems of our country just on the backs of the poor and those who are most in need. >> when we talk about this, those with most in need right

not, i want to get your take to the victims of hurricane sandy. both of you representing districts that were severely damaged. the conservative group wrote to members of congress saying there are scores who would give aid to victims. they say when a natural disaster occurs, there is a textbook response by congress. they cobble together an overpriced bill and it's filled with pork. this proposal is no different. congressman grimm, who someone who knows what happened on staten island, what's your take on that? >> obviously, it's not helpful. i'm not that concerned about it, what i've been doing since literally the day this happened is work extensively with my congress to make sure i have the votes necessary to pass the bill. don't get me wrong, though, i'm concerned there's extraneous things in the bill. that's not needed.

that just makes the lift heavier and i don't think we need to do that. i want to see a streamline bill, one that gives new york, new jersey, those affected by this superstorm that have been devastated, gives them what they need. but it should be what we need and what the confer has asked for. governor cuomo stepped. to the plate and kept it i do be fiscally responsible, and we've been saying that from day one. >> is the criticism that this is filled with pork, something that needs to be taken seriously? >> look, i think we can see happening here and what new york, new jersey, connecticut has been requested, is similar as to what has taken place with other areas of the country have had these devastating storms, and we will always come together. for people looking at this issue as iron that's an american issue, that should bring us together because, guess what, the people of new york, you

know, i have represented predominantly democratic district. you represent a predominantly republican district. we have democrats and republicans in our respective districts, and the storm did not go after a democrat or a republican or someone that is rich or poor. it hit all of us, and so this is an american issue that we should come together on and make sure that we resolve it so we can make sure that people can resume their lives. i think that that's what mike and i have done, and i'm hopeful that's what -- that's what we've done in new york for other areas that have been affected and afflicted by these kinds of storms, so i am hoping we come together in the house and on the senate so that we can get these things done. >> i appreciate your time, gentlemen. republicans make history with the addition of congressman tim scott to the senate. what it means for the gop. that coming up next. [ female announcer ] research suggests cell health

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>> it is with great pleasure that i am announcing -- that i'm appointing our next u.s. senator to be congressman tim scott. [ applause ] >> south carolina governor nikki haley making an appointment to replace jim demint. it makes congressman tim scott the first black senator from south dakota since the reconstruction. joining us is -- sir, your reaction to scott's appointment, and are you a little bit disappointed that it wasn't you? i know you were in consideration. >> several of us were. i think everyone in the delegation was being considered, but we're all very excited for tim. people don't realize, i think back home or in washington how close this group of freshman is from south carolina. myself, mr. scott, mr. duncan, mr. gowdy, and to have any of us

elevated to the senate was a real pleasure for all of us. >> he is the first black senator from the south since reconstruction. what does this mean to the optics, the face of the future of the gop? >> listen, south carolina is one of the places we're leading the way. we now have a black senator. we have an indian woman governor. we are taking the message in places and through folks that no other state is doing, and it's something to be very proud of from south carolina. >> when we talk about your future plans, i think a lot of people are curious since this role did not go to you, do you have any interest in primarying lindsey graham, tim scott, or nikki haley for that matter? >> i talked to senator graham at some length. i'm not going to run against senator graham. i like senator graham. tim scott is a good friend of mine, and i kind of like it in washington. i think we're all right for right now. >> republican congressman mick mulvaney. thank you for your time. >> thanks, thomas. >> that's going to wrap things up for me. i'll see you back here tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. eastern time. don't go anywhere, now. "now" with alex wagner comes your way next.

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more questions, few answers and a plan b. it is tuesday, december 18th, and this is "now." katrina van den hoogle is editor of "the nation" former director and msnbc political analyst karen finney is here and buzz feed's ben smith. today residents of newtown, connecticut, will bury two victims of friday's shooting massacre while wakes are held for three others. in washington, meanwhile, there are growing signs that the country is getting serious about gun control. during a meeting with top cabinet officials yesterday, president obama directed them to take a hard look at proposals to combat gun violence, and over on capitol hill senate majority leader harry reid joined with two other pro-gun rights democrats to suggest that new gun laws should be on the table.

>> we need to accept the reality that we're not doing enough to protect our citizens. in the coming days and weeks we'll engage in a meaningful conversation and thoughtful debate on how to change laws and culture and allow this violence to continue to grow. >> an nra rating of an a, but, you know, enough is enough. my -- i've got -- i'm father of three daughters, and this weekend they all said, dad, you know, how can this go on? and i, like i think most of us, realized that there are ways to get to rationale gun control. >> many republicans, however, remain further away from reform. some are even pushing for more guns. at a tea party event yesterday governor rick perry reportedly said that teachers should carry consealed weapons in school while fellow texan and congressman louie gomert suggested this. >> chris, i wish to god she had an m-4 in her office locked up w